Final Fantasy XVI

I will admit going into this that I may be fully biased. Final Fantasy is one of my favorite game series of all time with 10 being my favorite game. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed 16. The story, the combat, the music. All of it was a home run for me.

The combat director formerly worked on Devil May Cry 6 and it shows. It feels fluid and clean just like the former. It can feel simple yet as you progress and become more comfortable with it; you can pull of more complicated combos and weave together more powers. I found it a much more engaging solution to FF15's leave from the more original combat of Final Fantasy. Eikon battles are absolutely insane and truly take the game to a higher level. There are plenty of accessibility accessories you can equip that modify the combat to be easier. This is great for those either newly interested players or those that struggle with this gameplay.

The story is absolute dynamite. A fantastic cast comes together to bring this to life. Clive's actor definitely understood and added so much subtext to it all that came through. The relationships between all the characters as they progressed were wonderful to watch. Even comedic relief was incredibly well done and well timed. As always, the strongest suit of Final Fantasy is a story that engages you and makes you feel many emotions while playing. Simply a fantastic cast of characters.

Overall, some may be upset with the combat changes or diversion from the FF norm. Lots of reviews claiming that the game is too easy!! (While playing with every easy modifier). This is a Final Fantasy that anyone can truly get into and enjoy. As always, fantastic work to Square Enix, congratulations to the production and cast, and, finally, enjoy the journey.

Ff16 sets the bar high for rpgs and other games for its storytelling and gameplay.

It has learnt from the mistakes of ff15, and has majorly improved, the only slight issue the game has, it is that the frame rate drops in some sequences but overall top notch!

The creators have announced that the game will receive an update which will fix many of its issues especially motion blur and frame rate issues.

Old fans may or may not like the game's new mechanics because of no turn based one like the old games. But, for new comers, they will definitely enjoy.

I highly recommend this game! Perfection.

Okay, this game is amazing. My favorite Final Fantasy games are 7 and 14. This is much more darker and mature. It's very, very brutal. But i love it. Story is emotional rollercoaster, combat is so amazing, world is big, music is one of the best i have ever heard. Soken is on fire!! There also many amazing characters. Clive is a very strong character, but my favorite is Cid and Jill. And of course Torgal. Such a good boy. Graphics and visuals, top notch, and voice acting is so good too. Anyway, time will tell if this is a best Final Fantasy game. Right now, for me it is!! Thank you Business Unit III, Yoshi-P and Square Enix. Masterpiece 10/10.

This game should have been marketed as a system seller for the PlayStation 5 because it shows what the console is truly capable of. There were so many moments where my jaw hit the floor while watching and playing parts of this games sequences, boss fights and cinematics. Adding to that praise a truly mesmerising soundtrack, this game is simply one of the all time greats from all things technical.

The only bad marks it gets is how it builds a very interesting and in depth story of politics, wars and regicide from all different angles but then almost drops this to focus on the more mythic and other worldly elements of its story. I feel like the story chiefs were caught in a tug of war between grounded political intrigue and remembering this is a Final Fantasy game and therefore needs a cosmic entity to define the whole picture.

While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, I do think more could have been done to have the games multiple antagonists have more of an impact on our hero's actions and 'destiny' than they did. They end up being stepping stones, only to be rendered narratively obsolete by there being a bridge further down river. But really, come the end of the game there are numerous call backs that make it not too much of an egregious misstep.

The only other criticism is a nitpick, as mentioned at the start, this game is a technical marvel, but to its detriment at times as there are so many particle effects, flashes and chaos happening on screen that, if you're using multiple abilities at the same time, it can become extremely difficult to tell what on earth is going on on your screen. Certain abilities had me turning my camera to an upward angle so I could see what the enemy was doing as I was charging up a latent power that took up much needed space. Also considering the enemies also have their own particle effects and attacks that leave impacts on the ground, it's a confusing and chaotic melee on screen. Thankfully the combat is extremely fun and intense so again, it's a nitpick.

The strength of this game quite rightly is the technical flexing it pulls off with ease. I had zero crashes which is extremely impressive considering everything that can be happening everywhere, all at once on my screen. Unforgettable boss battles and brilliant performances from all casts members. This is a one of a kind fantasy epic and I will always look back on it with excitement.

Final Fantasy XVI is a perfect game. The story is well written and thought out, compelling, invokes emotion, and knows when to add humour that will not take away from the tone.

You are immeditately thrusted into the combat so you can feel the sense of what the game is all about from the word "go". All of the characters are either relatable, sympathetic, or hated in some way.

The dialogue is well written, and the voice acting carries the weight very well.

The combat is amazing, it is easy to pick up if you're a new player while also adding a challenge for those experienced in action games, and the eikon kaiju battles were nothing short of epic in different ways.

XVI leaves no loose ends except for the questions it did not answer. You can pet the dog.

The graphics and visuals are absolutely gorgeous, and even though we are not able to touch the water this game hands down has the best water physics out of any game I have seen.

XVI likes to throw cliches at you only to completely subvert your expectation because it knows that you know what should happen, for example; the final boss is well established and doesn't get outshone by a surprise villain irrelevent to the established plot.

And finally, even though there are some moments where visuals frame drop or the characters move like they're in Final Fantast XIV it is completely outshone to the point that it is only a very minor issue that can be made at best.

It's perfect. Everything, down to the last minute details. 10/10 the best game ever made.